Greece targets illegal gambling with 10 year jail terms
Written by admin on February 7, 2026
The Ministry of National Economy and Finance of Greece is drafting a new bill which will in fact introduce tougher measures against illegal gambling activities. Among the measures, there will be hefty fines, business closures, and imprisonment terms of up to 10 years.
With this plan, the ministry intends to shut down the black market, which, as per the officials, is the source of over 1.5 billion euros in revenue annually, while at the same time, increasing the protection of minors and other vulnerable groups. The draft proposal is said to be made with the input of the Hellenic Gaming Commission (EEEP). It is designed to give local authorities the power to issue temporary and permanent closure orders along with license revocations for premises where illegal gambling happens.
Additionally, the bill is likely to introduce a more stringent licensing regime for internet cafes, which, as per the authorities, are frequently used as a front for illegal gambling.
In accordance with the new provisions, anyone conducting games without a valid license – no matter the platform or means used – could face a minimum sentence of three years in jail along with a fine. If the games are gambling-related, the punishment can be raised to the maximum of 10 years in prison along with a fine between 50,000 and 100,000.
Moreover, the draft is about the players as well. People playing unlicensed gambling games risk a sentence of up to two years in prison and/or a fine, while repeated offenders may be given a minimum of two years in prison and fines of 5,000 to 20,000.
In addition, anyone hindering inspections will also face penalties from the authorities. The bill is quite harsh on people who delay, evade, block or disrupt inspections carried out by authorized control bodies as it prescribes prison terms of at least three years and fines.
The Minister of National Economy and Finance Kyriakos Pierrakakis said that the government intends to set up a “comprehensive framework” to fight illegal gambling “right at the source,” thus tackling both unlicensed websites and physical locations that are conducting illegal games.
Furthermore, he pointed out that the new framework would take into account the difficulties arising from the use of technology today and include the targeted measures that the gambling industry stakeholders have proposed.
The Hellenic Gaming Commission keeps a blacklist of almost 11,000 illegal operators and is one of the agencies that assist police in targeting unlawful venues. In addition, the commission is also a complaint-handling body, a collaborator with judicial authorities, and it also works together with the Anti-Money Laundering Authority.
A Kapa Research survey estimated the illegal gambling market of 2023 to be around 1.67 billion, while the loss of state revenue may have reached 500 million. In 2024, approximately, 900,000 Greeks are reported to have gambled 1.7 billion via unlicensed channels.
The report revealed that the typical player spent 1,930 and it was also mentioned that 10 percent of the players were aged between 17 and 21. Illegal online gambling comprised 1 billion, while illegal land-based gambling was 700 million in value.
